Homicides 2017 51
Marcello Robertson, 27, sanitation worker with 4 kids
Marcello Robertson liked to project the image of a daredevil who wasn’t scared to live on the edge, reveling in his fascination with fast cars and motorcycles. But that bit of a wild streak didn’t come out nearly as often as his sensitive side, said his grandmother, Sandra Robertson, who saw Marcello a mere 20 […]
Khiseer Davis-Papther, 13, ‘DJ Special K’
Every evening after attending Harding Middle School, Khiseer Davis-Papther would head straight for his computer to practice his DJ skills. “Once he would get on that computer, you wouldn’t hear nothing from him,” Cytiria Horton, Khiseer’s stepmother, said. Khiseer aspired to be a DJ when he grew up. He would spend all of his free […]
Tyshiem Chainey, 17: ‘Don’t you know the coyotes are out here after us!’
At 17 years old, Tyshiem Chainey’s life was split between Philadelphia and North Carolina. “I tried to create a new culture in his life,” Alice Chainey, Tyshiem’s grandmother, said. He would spend most of his summer and some of the winter with her in North Carolina, then the rest of the year in Philadelphia with […]
Ramon Anthony Smith, 46: ‘Very nice and very well-liked’
Just like any kid, Ramon Anthony Smith always loved playing with the other children in his neighborhood. “He was just like a regular neighborhood kid,” said a former neighbor who knew Ramon for years. As he grew up, he was known to be well-spoken and kind, the kind of kid who would not dare to […]
Elliot Cortes, 26, florist with a passion for gardening
The home of Elliot Cortes was always decorated with colorful bouquets of flowers. He spent his days working at Stein Florist on Frankford Avenue, but his love for the vibrant blooms did not stop when he clocked out at the end of the day. It was not just his job, but also his passion in […]
Maurice Riley, 26, father training to be electrical engineer
The moment Maurice Riley became a dad at 18 years old was the proudest experience of the young man’s life. “He was an awesome father from day one,” Maurice’s mother, Lauronda Fletcher, said. “I haven’t come across a more loving, caring parent.” Family was of the utmost importance to Maurice until the day he died. […]
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